ROXi music video streaming service to launch in U.S., including on Broadcast TV with Sinclair

ROXi, a music video streaming app for TVs whose backers include Simon Cowell and Kylie Minogue that was first launched in the U.K., is coming to the United States.

The service promises American viewers access to some 100 million music videos — including the likes of Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran and Beyoncé — plus hundreds of curated music video channels, karaoke and music games. ROXi’s services are available free with ads, or without ads for a monthly subscription fee.

ROXi will be available in the first quarter of 2024 on multiple connected-TV platforms. In addition, in partnership with TV broadcaster Sinclair, the company plans to launch what it claims will be the U.S.’s first fully interactive broadcast TV channels, allowing viewers to pause, play and skip content on compatible TV sets. ROXi plans to launch three interactive music channels — the ROXi Music Channel, the ROXi Music Karaoke Channel and the ROXi Music Games Channel — to homes throughout America in early 2024 on Sinclair’s digital broadcast airwaves, using the NextGen TV (ATSC 3.0) standard.

“Our partnership with Sinclair will revolutionize what broadcast TV means for millions of households across the U.S.,” said ROXi CEO Rob Lewis. “Viewers will get instant access to TV music channels that feature the interactivity and capabilities of a music app, without having to download or launch an app.”

London-based ROXi was founded in 2014. The company’s investors, in addition to Cowell and Minogue, include Sheryl Crow, Robbie Williams and U2’s Adam Clayton.

Alongside the channels it is launching with Sinclair, ROXi is debuting its TV music app on a range of smart TV platforms including Samsung, LG, Roku, Vizio, Sony Bravia, Amazon Fire TV, Comcast, Google TV and Android TV.

ROXi Standard is the free tier with ads, while ROXi Premium ($8.99 per month) provides access without any advertising. In addition, the company is offering a karaoke microphone that works with its app; that’s free for those who sign up for a 30-day trial of ROXi Premium and can also be purchased from roxi.tv for $29.99.

Roxi’s Lewis said the service isn’t designed to compete with music streaming services like Spotify or Apple Music. Instead, the company positions it as a way to enjoy visual music content on the biggest screen in the household: the living-room TV.

The music videos on ROXi’s service encompass content licensed from all major and independent music rights holders, according to Lewis. The ROXi Music Video Karaoke Channel combines music videos paired with scrolling lyrics, and the ROXi Music Games Channel features interactive music games in which viewers battle with friends and family for the highest score.

ROXi is hosting previews of its NextGen TV interactive music channels launching in partnership with Sinclair at 2024 CES in Las Vegas at the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) booth at the Las Vegas Convention Center’s Central Hall booth 19744. Variety